76ers officially announce acquisition of Noel
The Philadelphia 76ers officially announced that they have acquired the rights to Nerlens Noel, who was the sixth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and a 2014 first-round pick from New Orleans in exchange for guard Jrue Holiday and the 42nd pick in the 2013 NBA Draft.
The trade had been reported on draft day, but was not officially announced until Friday.
"The draft is an important pipeline of talent for our team and our intention was to add players who could position us well for the future, while also allowing us to capitalize on attractive opportunities to acquire top-flight talent or additional future draft choices," said Sixers President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie. "Nerlens Noel and an additional 2014 first round draft choice give us two new opportunities to add talent to our team."
The 19-year-old Noel averaged 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.1 steals and an NCAA-best 4.4 blocks as a freshman for Kentucky this past season.
Holiday averaged 17.7 points and 8.0 assists for the Sixers last season.
